Chris Pierce is an American singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, public speaker, wine producer and officiant born and based in California.

Early life

Pierce is from

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

, California. He grew up singing in church and playing in bands from an early age and listened to classic soul, rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel and rock and roll recordings. When he was 15 he was diagnosed with

otosclerosis Otosclerosis is a condition of the middle ear where portions of the dense enchondral layer of the bony labyrinth remodel into one or more lesions of irregularly-laid spongy bone. As the lesions reach the stapes the bone is resorbed, then har ...

which caused him to lose significant hearing. A surgery helped him regain 70% of his hearing in his right year. In his teenage years, he pursued acting and singing in local theater presentations and appeared on notable television shows such as ''Kids Incorporated'', ''Big Break'' hosted by

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

, ''Star Search'' and ''Half and Half''. While still in high school, Pierce began playing gigs with Grammy-nominated rock musician

Jon Butcher Jon Butcher (born May 5, 1955) is an American rock, blues songwriter, guitarist and freelance multimedia producer. Early life Jon A. Toombs, is the elder son of Joan Butts and John A Toombs Sr. In 1967, Jon's stepfather William Butcher move ...

. After high school he received a scholarship to study jazz at

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

. At 19 years old he performed on a US tour with

Sonia Dada Sonia Dada was an American rock, soul, and rhythm and blues band, formed in Chicago in 1990. Founding member Daniel Pritzker enlisted Michael Scott, Paris Delane, and Sam Hogan after hearing the latter three sing in a subway station.Biography Al ...

and later continued on to Moscow, Russia. After touring with Sonia Dada, Pierce came home to Southern California to work on his degree in jazz studies at USC. In 2005, Pierce met

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

at a house party and later joined him as his opening act on a world tour. Pierce says, "I kinda got discovered by him... That opened up a bunch of different things."

Career

For over a decade Pierce has been recording and doing independent road tours and playing up to 150 shows a year. He has opened for

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

Rodrigo y Gabriela Rodrigo y Gabriela (Rodrigo and Gabriela) are a Mexican acoustic guitar duo whose music is influenced by a number of genres including nuevo flamenco, rock, and heavy metal. The duo's recordings consist largely of instrumental duets on the flam ...

, Jill Scott,

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

Colbie Caillat Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre. After signing with Universal Republic R ...

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

Jamie Cullum Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He has recorded nine stu ...

Toots & The Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...

, and

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...

. In 2021, Chris Pierce's cover of "No One" by Alicia Keys was featured on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television series ''

A Million Little Things ''A Million Little Things'' is an American family drama television series created by DJ Nash for ABC. Produced by ABC Signature and Kapital Entertainment, it features an ensemble cast including David Giuntoli, Grace Park, Romany Malco, Christi ...

'' and the single was released by

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...

. Chris Pierce also co-wrote the hit song "We Can Always Come Back To This" which was featured 3 times on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

drama ''

This Is Us ''This Is Us'' is an American family drama television series that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames. It s ...

''. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart and #12 on iTunes's Top 100. His songs have also been featured in film and television like ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'', '' Brothers and Sisters'', ''

In Plain Sight ''In Plain Sight'' is an American drama television series that premiered on the USA Network on June 1, 2008. The series revolves around Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack), a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico, office ...

'', ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The serie ...

'', ''

Eli Stone ''Eli Stone'' is an American legal comedy-drama television series, named for its title character. The series was created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who also served as executive producers alongside Ken Olin who directed the pilot, wit ...

'', ''

What About Brian ''What About Brian?'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Dana Stevens and co-produced by J. J. Abrams' company Bad Robot Productions. The series premiered on April 16, 2006, on ABC, as a mid-season replacement and concluded ...

'', '' Lincoln Heights'', ''Army Wives'', '' North Shore'', ''Half and Half'', ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...

'', ''

Sister Act ''Sister Act'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Paul Rudnick (as Joseph Howard). It stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to join a convent after being placed in a witness protection program. It ...

'', ''

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

'' and ''The Long Shots'' starring

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

. His single "Are You Beautiful" has been used in a national Banana Republic ad campaign. Chris Pierce - Live at Mountain Winery - Saratoga, CA (2019)

Reception

Critic Paul Saitowitz of ''

The Press-Enterprise ''The Press-Enterprise'' is a paid daily newspaper published by Digital First Media that serves the Inland Empire in Southern California. Headquartered in downtown Riverside, California, it is the primary newspaper for Riverside County, with he ...

'' has compared Pierce's voice to

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, writing that it "fluctuates from delicate falsettos to shrieks reminiscent of Ray Charles". In a concert review, the ''

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the state of Texas, with ...

'' wrote that he has "one of the most powerful voices going." Chris Pierce's 2021 album, ''American Silence,'' garnered critical acclaim from ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

'', ''

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius S ...

'', ''The Bluegrass Situation'', ''

Acoustic Guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

'', '' No Depression'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', ''Americana UK'' and more for its strong racial justice themes. ''NPRs Robin Hilton said, "I haven't been so deeply, deeply move by just a person and their guitar like this in a long time. ''Rolling Stone'' wrote, "''American Silence'' is the sound of everyone who's hungry for change, steadying themselves and marching toward a common goal." ''No Depression'' noted the timelines of the album's release around the worldwide racial justice uprisings: "Chris Pierce's ''American Silence'' is one of those albums that truly feels like a lifetime in the making." Additionally, his song "Keep On Keeping On" was chosen as

KCRW KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...

's "Today's Top Tune" and he appeared on

's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with

Nic Harcourt Nic Harcourt (born September 23, 1957) is an English-born American radio and television presenter, producer, and journalist best known as the former Music Director and on-air presenter for the Santa Monica, California-based radio station KCRW. Har ...

, who selected Pierce's album, ''Walking on The Earth'', as "Best Album of July 2008."

Personal life

Pierce currently resides in California. He married actress

Tara Buck Tara Buck (born March 16, 1975) is an American film, stage, and television actress. Buck is known for her roles in ''True Blood,'' '' Ray Donovan'', and ''Party of Five''. Early life Buck attended Wood River High School in Hailey Idaho, where ...

in 2012. They co-own a wine label called Ledbetter Syrah.

Discography

* ''American Silence'' (2021) * ''You've Got To Feel It!'' (2017) * ''Reverend Tall Tree' (2015) * ''When the Hustle Comes to a Stop'' (2012) * ''I Can Hear You'' (2011) * ''Chris Pierce Live at the Hotel Cafe'' (2009) * ''Walking on the Earth'' (2007) * ''Static Trampoline'' (2005) * ''Intimate Moments'' (2004) * ''Liberation Vol. 1'' (2002)

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Chris Living people American singer-songwriters American soul guitarists American blues musicians American folk musicians Year of birth missing (living people)